Moments at Olympus High
by Chaos In Her Wake
Summary: Class elections, track meets, new students... and goddess catfights, magic kidnappings, and office Gorgons! The characters of Greek Mythology are in high school, going through various high-school things... & also going through normal mythological issues too C: Based off of the original myths with some new stories. T for myth. Requests accepted!
1. Persephone

**My friends at school in I started this little project during our Mythology class one day. We took the Greek gods, gave them high school stereotypes and nicknames, and started writing. It's not meant to be offensive to anyone, and no character bears deliberate resmeblance to anyone except their Greek character. We do not own these ancient characters, just their high school versions. :) **

**At first, the stories were just high school versions of the original myths, but eventually they started having their own little side-stories. Most of the ones that I post will be the high-school myths, but don't worry, they're still plenty original. :)**

**The mythical family relationships ARE NOT used in this story. Disregard just about all familial relationships. Many times, they will just be close friends instead of parent/child, etc. The gods are all seniors in high school. Zeus is not the father of Apollo. Many dating relationships are marriages in mythology. Chaos is the founder of the school, Uranus is the principal, Cronus is the vice-principal, the other Titans are teachers, and the Fates are teachers too. :) Olympus High is a boarding school, so there are dorm assignments. They are hilarious, but they won't really come into play until some of the later stories.**

**Just some notes: 'Morry' is Thanatos's nickname, since his Roman name is Mors. AGAIN, this is not meant to be offensive. It's just a funny little thing we started in school one day for fun. I WILL TAKE REQUESTS. And, of course, R&R! :)**

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><p>HADES<p>

I slip past the art room where Demeter and Persephone are carefully folding origami flowers from brightly colored paper. It's a weird match, the dark boy and the, well, flowery girl, but I fell for her anyway. I even made sure that I hadn't been one of Eros' unfortunate golden love arrow victims. I couldn't quite believe it when I realized the truth, but now I just can't seem to avoid 'Sephie', as her friends call her.

My plan has come together very nicely now; it's time for the start. Just a little longer, then Morry and Hecate will start the ball rolling with fire and the following alarm. I position myself in the science lab across the hall so I have a clear view of the two girls, placing my cap of darkness on my head in order to melt into the shadows. They can't see me yet.

The fire alarm screams. _Thanatos and Hecate have done their job_, I think. I tear the hat off of my shaggy hair as I dash into the hallway. Sephie and Demi look around nervously for flames from the doorway of the classroom. I 'accidentally' collide with the pair of girls as I rush form my hiding space.

"I heard that there's actually a fire down towards the track course," I say. The two girls' eyes widen. If Hecate has done her job correctly, there is fire, but it won't do any damage or cause any pain. Persephone is startled when I grab her wrist, but she starts running after me down the corridor. Demeter tried to waddle along behind us, but eventually all those grains she eats catch up with her and she stops behind us, panting heavily. The hippie girl and I make it out of the school perfectly fine, breathing raggedly from the mad dash.

"So, what now… Hades? That's your name, right?" Persephone babbles. I nod. "Thanks for showing me the way out. Demeter and I aren't usually in that art room. Wait- where _is_ Dem-" she never gets a chance to finish. I grab her delicate hand and pull her towards my black car, one of the few on campus. Olympus High is a boarding school, after all.

"Let me go!" the girl squeals, her honey-colored hair flying out in all directions as she attempts to twist out of my grip. I'm much more powerful than she and I easily wrestle her into the backseat.

My secret place isn't too far from the school, but my ears are ringing from Sephie's cries by the time the black car rolls to a complete stop. Hecate, Morry, and I come here when school gets too… happy… for us. We can be here for a few minutes before we are missed.

I haul Persephone into the shadowy building and guide her- trying to be gentle now- into a room near the back of the building. She tucks her legs up under her on a rickety wooden chair.

"I'm not going to hurt you," I try to explain, stumbling over the words. I've never been a very talkative person, even with my few friends.

"Then why am I here?" she snaps. I've never seen an angry hippie before. I must admit, it is quite amusing. Taking a deep breath, I continue.

"I needed to ask you something in private," I start, sitting down in the chair opposite Sephie, "I want to know- will you go out with me?"

DEMETER

I make it out of the school building just fine, no thanks to that creep Hades. The 'fire' turned out to be a mirage courtesy of (also a creep) Hecate. She probably just wanted to get out of class, too. Way to scare everyone out of their skins, Goth girl.

"Sephie?" I call, searching the sea of faces for my best friend. I can't see the petite girl or the tall, dark boy she was with. The mass of students begins to flow back into the school and I grudgingly return to Advanced Principles of Agriculture. I try to focus on my classwork, but my mind has other plans. It keeps turning to the empty seat beside me. I struggle through the rest of the day's classes, racing between rooms to look for my best friend. Sephie has always been the only one who really accepts me, and I'm totally alone without her.

I trudge back to my dormitory after Professor Krios releases the Philosophy class. Other students mill about in huddled groups while I walk alone. Where could Sephie be? Suddenly, I hear my name in one of the conversations. Why would people be talking about me- the quiet, overweight girl who only talks to Persephone?

"There's Demi- what's with her? It's her duty to keep all the plants alive, and all dying now!" Sure enough, everything seems to be withering when I glance around the campus. The brown plants match my mood.

"I think it's because Persephone left."

"Really? Well, then…" the voice of Hera, who is clinging onto the arm of her boyfriend Zeus, pierces my sensitive ears. I hear footsteps behind me- the _clack clack clack_ of high heels. "Hey, Demi!" Hera chirps. I turn around slowly. "Are you looking for Sephie? I thought I saw her and Hades going around the other side of the school after the fire drill thingy." Hopeful now, I begin to head in that direction, forgetting to thank Hera or even say goodbye to the girl.

"Sephie? SEPHIE!" I hear voices as I yell my friend's name. But it's only Apollo and Eros, whispering and glancing at a very pretty girl- Daphne?- not too far away. When Apollo sees me, he smiles brightly.

"Hi, Demeter! I haven't seen Persephone around here today, but I did see her heading out to the parking lot with Hades earlier!" This time, I remember to thank my fellow student for the valuable information. The parking lot- Hades drives that hideous black car sometimes. What has he done to her!

I chase after the two boys who are talking and laughing next to the doors to the gym. "Zeus!" I cry out. He and Poseidon turn around staring at me. "Hades is your brother, right?" He balks.

"That's supposed to be a-"

"Secret. Yeah, sure, whatever. Well, he took Sephie somewhere and now I have no idea where they are or even what's going on!" The boy sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose between his fingers.

"Well, if she's agreed to date him or something, there's not much you can do about her changing inner circles or whatever, but if she refuses him, everything can go back to the way it was before…before…"

"Before this morning," I finish the sentence for him. "But where would they be?" Zeus- or 'Zee', as his cronies call him- considers this for a moment.

"Well, there's always that shadowy, run-down shack Hades and his friends like to hang out in. Hermes sees them going there sometimes when he's practicing for cross-country. You can probably get him to show you the way out there." I'm eager to get on my way now.

"Thanks, Zeus. Bye!" I figuratively leave him in the dust. The janitor, Mr. Taur, keeps this school really clean. Surprisingly clean, if you've ever seen his labyrinth of a storage closet. Theseus got stuck in there once. But, I digress…

The scrawny senior is holding a can of Silly String when I find him. "Hermes!" He jumps guiltily. "I think Hades has carried off Persephone. Will you help me find his, um, hideout?" The boy's eyes sparkle mischievously.

"Sure, Demi." He tightly laces his signature winged running shoes and darts out of the school hallway into the sunlight, carelessly tossing the can of Silly String behind him. I chase after him.

Finally, we reach the edge of the campus. Hermes comes back to earth and slows his pace to a brisk walk. "It's only a few blocks from here," he says. The sun beats down on us relentlessly and I grow more and more irritated at Helios. Finally, the house I'm looking for becomes clear. It looms, dark and imposing, on the corner of the street. I've heard rumors before that people have died in that house, that their shades still remain in the shadowy rooms. Hermes cautiously opens the creaking, faded front door.

"Sephie?" I whisper loudly. Footsteps echo in the entryway, but I don't see anyone approaching Hermes and I. A ghost? I certainly hope not.

A figure rounds the corner at the end of the hall, running full tilt, and rushes straight at me. I squeal in fright and brace myself for an attack, but I receive a fierce hug instead.

"Demi!" Sephie squeals. She seems extremely happy for a girl who just got kidnapped. I grab her hand and begin pulling her towards the door.

"Come on! We've got to get out of here before Hades finds us!" Why does Persephone seem to be resisting me? Hermes is standing anxiously on the curb; I want to call to him to help me, but I'm afraid Hades would hear.

"What about me finding people?" I catch a glimpse of movement in the dark corridor and Hades appears out of nowhere, leaning against the door frame. I gasp and drop Sephie's wrist in fright. The tall boy stuffs some sort of cap in his back pocket and shakes his shaggy black hair out of his equally dark eyes. He makes no move to stop us; he just puts his pale hands in his pockets. Sephie takes a step towards Hades.

"Don't tell me you two are dating!" I groan.

"Well, actually… yes," Sephie replies, slightly apologetically. Hades lets his grim exterior crack and smiles a little bit when Sephie takes his hand.

I can practically feel the plants on campus die a little more.

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><p><strong>Haha! Hope you enjoyed! I do take requests, so... yeah. Your request isn't guaranteed a story, since monsters are sort of hard to fit into high school and stuff, and other awkwardness in the Greek myths... : This one was bad enough. My friends and I ended up cutting out the pomegranate part. If you want to incorporate that, Persephone uses pomegranate-scented shampoo. :)**

**The entire story will not center around Hades and Persephone. It will visit many myths, from many POVs. :) Again, requests accepted!**

**And yes, Demeter has it really bad with her stereotype. We did SOOO many characters, and there wasn't much left when we got around to her. Sorry, Demi.**

**R&R! :D**


	2. Hippolytus and Orion

**This chapter focuses on the stories of Hippolytus (one of the lesser known stories- H. was the son of Theseus, and his stepmother Phaedra fell in love with him. He was a follower of Artemis, and he refused her. Phaedra killed herself and Theseus banished Hippolytus. He was mortally wounded by a sea monster, and he was carried back to Theseus by Artemis, who told Theseus the truth. H. died in his father's arms, the family reunited. It's one of my favorites EVER) and Orion (known as Ryan here). Paulie is Apollo. Penny is Penthesilea, the queen of the Amazons during the Trojan War, who was murdered by Achilles. Artemis calls Helen of Sparta/Troy 'Pageant Girl'. Same disclaimer, warnings as last time. :)**

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><p>HIPPOLYTUS<p>

Vice Principal Cronus ushers me out of his office and pushes a sheaf of papers into my hands. "These are your school papers; your schedule and calendar are included." I'm not really listening to his spiel. I'm overwhelmed by the sheer number of students and I think I may be swept away. However, Vice Principal Cronus keeps a firm grip on my shoulder. He grabs the strap of a backpack, pulling a girl- a senior by the looks of her- out of the crowd. She has some sort of skater-type hat on with her hair tucked underneath. "Ah, Artemis!" The girl looks sullenly from him to me with piercing emerald eyes, scowling. "This is Hippolytus, our new student. He's a sophomore. I suppose you know Theseus?" The girl mutters something that sound a lot like _unfortunately_. "Well, he's related to Hippolytus here. I want you to show him around." Artemis rolls her eyes. I can almost feel her hostility. She hikes her camouflage backpack higher on her shoulders and begins to wade back into the rush of students.

"Well? Come on, boy. I don't want to miss all of archery!" I scurry after her.

"You have archery now? Me too!" Artemis ignores me and pulls a bow from her backpack, out of nowhere. I gape as I watch her string the long arc of wood. She then uses it to point out a window to an immaculate field.

"That's our archery field. In a few minutes, people will be setting up targets and stuff out there." Artemis grabs another girl as she walks by us, and in turn that girl pulls her friend out of the traffic in the corridor. "Penny, Antiope- tell Themis I'll be late. Cronus is making me give the new kid a tour." The two dark-haired girls nod and continue on their way. Artemis continues to show me the school, going down my schedule and showing me other stuff on the way there. I see the gym, where doors in the back are labeled 'swords', 'spears', 'tennis rackets', and more; the chemistry labs, where a poster of a griffin's anatomy is covering almost half of the back wall; the history classroom, where three wrinkly women stand together at the front of the room and recite dates at a bored class of freshmen; and the greenhouse, where a girl with beads in her hair sits, making poppies spout from the cracks in the concrete. Finally, there's only one place on my papers I haven't seen.

"Who are you with for dorm assignments?" Artemis asks.

"Where's that?" She rolls her eyes for what must be the hundredth time.

"It should be in the bottom right-hand corner."

"Umm… it says Thanatos, Hephaestus, and Somnus." She throws her head back and laughs. "What?"

"You're lucky. You've got a quiet dorm and none of those guys are half as perverted as my twin brother Apollo- better known as Paulie, if you run into him."

"Well… I guess that's a good thing. Are all these guys sophomores too?"

"Naw, we've got a weird dorm system. You can basically end up with anyone, although freshmen are always with other freshmen. For example, my brother has a junior, a sophomore, and another senior in his dorm. In my dorm there are two seniors and two juniors." Tapping her bow against her leg while she walks, Artemis leads the way to the boys' dormitories. The huge gray building has a twin that I saw earlier on the other side of the campus- the girls' dorms. Artemis stops at the entrance and checks a list that's titled 'Monitors'. She slides her finger down the paper to today's date and then leans into the doorway. "Theseus!"

A boy with curly reddish hair and blue-green eyes emerges from the shadows with a girl hanging off his arm.

"Hey, Arty. Hey, Hippolytus. You're finally here, cousin!" the boy greets us. Artemis glares at him.

"I thought it wasn't allowed to have girls in the boys' dorms," I say, confused. Artemis nods.

"Aw, it's only Phaedra. We were only kissing-"

"Also known as lip rape," interjects Artemis.

"-only to your Amazon friends. Anyway, it's not really enforced during the daytime. Artemis just hates guys. She used to come in this place all the time to prank us, until... well, until Callisto got… trapped… with Zeus." I shift awkwardly as the girl standing beside me gets very angry at the mention of the name. Theseus steps forward to try and calm her down, and Phaedra comes towards me as her boyfriend drops her hand.

"Hey, cutie," she says, tugging her shirt so her neckline drops an inch or two lower, "you know, we're both sophomores and Theseus is a junior. I think I like you a little bit better." She laces her arms around me and tilts her face up to mine.

"Ugh! Get off of me, girl! I'm not interested, especially in someone who's dating my cousin!" Theseus turns around just now, having apologized to 'Arty' for mentioning her compromised friend.

"Get off my girlfriend, boy!" He pulls Phaedra off of me and pushes me towards the doorway as he storms down the hall and into one of the rooms. I back away from Phaedra, bumping into Artemis instead. She's taken off her cap and her curly, honey-blond hair bounces as she laughs. Her emerald eyes glint, but now with a friendlier light.

"You can sit at my lunch table whenever," she says. Then she swings her bow over her shoulder and strides away.

Theseus stomps back down the hallway, followed by someone else. Phaedra keeps giving me looks that sort of freak me out, so I'm glad when Theseus introduces the other boy. "This is Somnus," he almost growls. The boy yawns and runs a hand through his hair, tousled from sleep.

"Hey."

"Hi… Somnus, right?" He nods drowsily.

"Well, the dorm is back there," he walks to the end of the hallway. I follow and dump my stuff on the bed he points to. "Now, I'm going back to sleep." Somnus is snoring by the time his head hits the pillow.

Without any protection from the moody Theseus, I wait until he's kissing Phaedra again to slip out of the dormitory. I'd rather have archery with Artemis and the rest of her boy-hating friends than help Phaedra cheat on Theseus. Or, for that matter, deal with an angry Theseus!

ARTEMIS

"Penny, I don't see why you could have just brought Antiope to be your co-manager for the game!" I protest as my athletic friend pulls me to the bottom row of bleachers. I don't even _like_ rugby! "You know the teachers get suspicious if I don't even bother doing any homework from the week I skipped for that hunting trip! If I want to make it look like I was actually sick, I have to at least pretend to care about missing!" The girl gives me a dirty look. "What! The only other person I told was Hestia, and you know she can keep a secret!"

"Arty, you can be so naïve for a senior sometimes. Did you see who was in that room when you told Hestia that?" Penthesilea says, exasperated.

"Only Pageant Girl, but- oh," I groan. If Helen heard, she'll tell everybody in her pretty little clique, and Aphrodite, the brat she is, will tell the teachers. Well, anything to get out of fifteen Philosophy assignments! I blow out a huff of air and lean back in the bleachers. "So, why did you need a co-manager anyway? You've never asked before last Tuesday."

"You see that guy over there- number twelve?"

"Achilles? He's a bumbling fool. Always runs to his mommy Thetis when he gets hurt. I've always wondered what he would do if she wasn't a teacher here."

"Well, yeah, but he likes me."

"WHAT?" I can't believe this. "And why am I here?"

"Well, you hate him and-"

"Of course I hate him. I'd hate anyone who calls my brother gay. He's just Greek! And everyone knows it was Hyacinth who tried to-"Penthesilea cuts me off again.

"Achilles is deathly afraid of you." I get it now. "So, if you stay here…"

"I can scare him off. I've got your back, Penny."

"Thanks, Arty." I brush off the comment.

"Anything for one of my girls!" At that moment, the rugby team comes over for a water break, with Coach Epimethus's whistle shrieking. Achilles and his friend Ryan both saunter over to Penny and me. I glare at Achilles, but soon I think Ryan might be a bigger issue. He used to sit with Penny, Antiope, Hippolytus, and me at lunch, but eventually he ditched us for the jocks. I cross my arms and direct my death stare at him instead.

"Hey, Arty," he greets me. I snarl.

"Only my friends can call me Arty." He smirks.

"Well, what about more than friends?" How dare he! After he left our group? Everyone knows better than that, even if they've only known me for a minute. Asking me out is simply out of the question. I almost scream, but that would be too little of an outlet for my anger. I slug the idiot, and I hear something in his nose crack. He wails and turns away from me, and Penny giggles.

"Get out of our sight!" I holler. The two boys almost fall over themselves trying to run away. I turn to Penthesilea. "I don't think Achilles will give you any trouble after that." She grins.

ORION

"How do you manage to hang around with Arty so much and not get beaten up?" I ask Hippolytus, my nose still tender from last week's game.

"Easy," the younger boy says, leaning back in the library chair, "I don't fall in love with her- or anyone else, for that matter." I groan.

"How do you make it seem so simple?" I cover my face with my hands.

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><p><strong>Can we just say that Artemis has issues with love? :) MYTH REQUESTS ACCEPTED! R&amp;R, please. :D<strong>


	3. Arachne

**Welcome to the myth of Arachne- in high school... Here's Athena, for 35226! (I found my notebook) Minnie is a nickname based on Athena's Roman name, Minerva. Seus is Odysseus. Enjoy, and R&R! Everything is in Athena's POV.**

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><p>"And that, Olympus High, is why you should vote for me, Athena, as your student body president," I finish my speech and step away from the podium as the auditorium erupts in wholehearted applause and cheers. Last year I won by a landslide, already well-known because of my positions as chairwoman of the Weavers Club, president of Future Strategists, and founder of Geeks Anonymous. Well, it's not really anonymous anymore, but the bi-weekly meetings are always fun. Hephaestus always brings Scrabble. Anyway, Poseidon didn't stand a chance! He just talked about how water was so great for everyone- he even forgot to add that only something like three percent of all water is usable!<p>

I'm absolutely certain I will uphold my position this year. Ares dropped out of the race pretty early on, so the only other competitor is a junior girl named Arachne. I remember tutoring her when we were in middle school- she used to fail two-third of her classes until she met me! As I walk backstage, I hear her chatting with some of her many nymph and mortal friends. They're so sweet. I wave and she happily returns the gesture.

My campaign managers practically run me over when I push open the heavy metal doors leading out of the auditorium. Seus and Nike are great friends to have when we're talking politics- school and local issues, of course. Wily and loyal Seus has been working on subtly 'infiltrating' tons of cliques and promoting me. He can't even get around to his classes and dormitory without being mobbed by his new friends! Whole gaggles of girls talk about him, but he only likes one of his classmates, a rather plain girl named Penelope. They're both so smart and faithful- perfect for each other! Nike is my official campaign manager, and she's done absolutely amazing with the posters and little souvenir trinkets. There's even a little statue that she made that pictures me with Nike standing on my upturned palm. She got the office staff to let her put them in the study alcoves and even one in the attendance office! They're all over the dorms, too. Odysseus said that although we originally had them only in the girls' building, boys got their girlfriends to get them a few and now the boys' dorms are supporting me too! How cool is Nike? The girl's name translates to 'victory' in Greek and it's fitting. She brings good luck to whomever she hangs out with. Currently, her dark braid bounces on her shoulder and her eyes sparkle with happiness.

"You did great, Minnie! You're a shoe-in for president!" she squeals.

"Yeah, Penelope said all of her friends plan to vote for you. She even got that creep who keeps stalking her, Antinous, to vote for you now!" Seus interjects. I feel in my pocket for my notecards, but they're not there. Crud! I need those for my Philosophy class, not just my speech. My speech was based on my assignment about leadership!

"Hey, go on to class, all right, guys? I left something backstage." My friends nod and walk on. I open the stage door a tiny bit, trying to avoid hitting any stragglers, and suddenly I hear voices in the wings.

"Athena? There's no way she'll win. I'm way better than she is." I burst into the dark space. Arachne whirls around from her little circle of friends and gapes as she sees me standing in seething fury behind her. I silently stride over to the lectern and snatch up my notes. I pass Arachne, who's still horrified at my discovery, on my way back out.

"We'll see about that." I storm out the door.

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><p>Principal Uranos's voice crackles over the intercom during Calculus. "Here are the results of the votes for the Student Council members! For the position of Treasurer, we have Midas as our winner. For secretary- Hestia! Your vice president is Poseidon and for President-" Nike and I share a glance across the room and my friend raises her crossed fingers. "-there is a tie between Arachne and Athena!" Nike's hopeful grin turns into a scowl as the entire class turns to look at me. "Will both candidates for the position of student body president please report to my office immediately?"<p>

My class watches silently as I gather my things, adjust my owl-patterned hair clip, and stride out of Calculus. Mr. Prometheus, who-throughout the announcement- was writing formulas on the board that the entire class will have to scurry to copy down, finally turns to me as I open the wooden classroom door.

"And remember, Athena, look before you leap!" he says seriously, looking at me over thick glasses, "Good luck!"

The walk to the office seems longer than usual- I've walked it many times delivering notes for my teachers. As I approach, I see Arachne coming from the opposite direction. I sneer at her, grabbing her arm just out of sight of the office Gorgons.

"If you make me lose this, I promise you that you will pay." The younger girl looks at me with frightened eyes that narrow into glinting slits. I release her and stroll into the office as composed as ever. The Gorgons point us towards two blood-red seats near Principal Uranos's office door. After about thirty seconds of death-staring between Arachne and me, the door opens and Uranos welcomes us into his office.

"Well, girls, it's been decided that each of you will make an impromptu speech to me about why you should become president and I shall make the final decision." I glare at Arachne until she volunteers to go first. Her whiny voice grates on my sensitive ears; I can't understand a word she says through her nasally drone. It's terrible! How do her friends listen to her jabber all day? I can't even remember what she said as she sits back down. Oh well, I've already got my speech worked out. I stand, wipe my clammy palms on my dark jeans, and begin.

"I think I am the perfect choice for student body-president for several reasons," I start strongly, my clear voice much more precise than Arachne's. I drill my silver gaze into her darting hazel eyes. "I have experience, as I have held the position once before along with many other offices in school organizations. I am loyal, honest, and hardworking; I promise to always consider first what would be best for the school. I can communicate well with many types of people. These important political qualities are why I, Athena, should be student body president of Olympus High." It's not my best or most eloquent talk, but it will suffice. It's simple and to the point, which is exactly what Uranos probably wanted after Arachne's long-winded drawl. By the look on her face, my opponent is nervous. A show of weakness- not tact at all on her part.

Principal Uranos speaks, now into the intercom microphone. "Attention, all students and faculty members. The student body president for Olympus High will be… Athena!" I can hear the cheers from down the hall and I smirk smugly at Arachne. Her spidery limbs seem to be brought to attention as she slumps in her seat.

That girl is sure as Hades gonna get what she deserves.

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><p><strong>I did include several Odyssey references, for those who caught them. :) Hope you guys liked it! I've got Atalanta written, working on typing it, and after that I'm working on a non-mythic story. ;) Well, reviews are loved! Requests accepted!<strong>


	4. Atalanta

**Here we go- I told you I had it written! This is the story of Atalanta. Ditey is Aphrodite, and Melanion is more commonly known as Hippomenes. I like Melanion better. :) R&R! Everything is in Atalanta's POV.**

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><p>I jump off the bus and almost crash into Hermes. "So, Captain, where's our bench?" The tall senior motions to a rickety wooden thing as he absentmindedly surveys the other team. The awning that the bench rests crookedly under proclaims 'Arcady High is the best!' What a blatant attempt at self-esteem. The local track team is stretching on the other side of the oval track. Waiting for the rest of the team to unload their bags and get off of the bus, I bend down to tie my shoes a little more securely. I'm not going down disgraced like Meleager did at the Calydonia competition! That was just embarrassing.<p>

A pair of strappy golden sandals with five-inch heels daintily steps on the hard-packed ground in front of me and I choke on the sickly sweet scent of pomegranate-scented perfume. "Ugh!" squeals Ditey, "That bus smells like feet!" Hermes crosses his arms when the preppy girl sprays the offending bottle into the doorway of the bus, blasting Arcas right in the face with the super-strong flower smell. The boy chokes and tries to wave away the scent, but it's much too late. He stumbles to the trunk of the bus coughing and rubbing his eyes. The Arcady team laughs, audible even to us.

"Well, at least my bus doesn't smell like your perfume!" Hermes says defensively. The girl squeaks in indignation and tosses her golden, flat-ironed hair over one shoulder.

"Come on, Eros!" She links her arm through that of her best friend and struts away- straight toward the opposite team. I hear footsteps behind me.

"What's she doing?" Hippolytus scoffs.

"Probably flirting with the other team," I reply moodily, "even though she came here after begging Hermes to be our cheerleader. Uranos told her she had to stay with us!" The boy rolls his eyes and walks over to our bench. I see Ditey walk up to a boy and tap him on the shoulder. He turns around and seems to be startled- maybe a little angry, which makes me happy. Then Ditey presses something into his hand and he nods and smiles at her. She and Eros come back gossiping and blushing.

Hermes calls the other team's captain over, and they converse for a while. Hermes is known for his jokes, but here, with his sandy hair already beginning to stick to his neck with sweat, he's just a runner. He wears his serious face when he returns to our bench and explains the events we'll be running to our restless track team. "All right, guys, are you ready?" we nod and murmur assent, and Diomedes shouts out comically that he's prepared right after the rest of us have calmed down. "Here is the lineup- first off, there's the relay race. Um… Hippolytus, Achilles, Lycaon, and I will run that one- in that order, d'ya hear?" Again, we mutter in reply. I'm sort of upset. The relay is my favorite event. "Next up is the mile run. Arcas, you up for that?"

"Always ready, Captain!" the freshman shouts. Now I'm even more disappointed. Then Hermes announces the last event- the 400 meter dash.

"We'll hit them with our secret weapon this time- Atalanta, you ready to run?" I cheer mentally, but I simply nod. I really am a secret weapon, being the fastest member of the team and also the only girl.

The other captain calls us all together for the official start of the races. Hermes hands him our list of runners. "All right, everyone! Welcome to the Arcady Invitational Track Meet! Even though only two teams are able to compete today, we will still run. The first run today will be the 44-meter dash. The competitor from Olympus High- Atalanta, is it?" I step forward.

"Right here and ready to win!" I almost salute, but the guy looks a little awkward. I scan the other team confidently- no girls, just as I expected. The guy calls up their runner- Melanion. The boy Ditey had been talking to earlier steps forward and runs a hand through his messy dark hair. Ugh. Boys think they're so great.

"Take your places, runners! Good luck and may the best man- er, or woman- win!" I stride to the start of the track. Melanion comes up beside me and offers his hand. I shake it briefly, but I focus on getting down and ready. The captains start us off.

It's an easy race. Why did Arcady bother pitting the poor guy against me? Surely they've heard of Swift Shoes Atalanta, the girl runner from Olympus? Jerks. The boy isn't half my speed. Suddenly, something gold flashes on the ground in front of me. I barely pause to pick it up and keep running. If its' easy to grab, take it and don't risk tripping. And, there's something about this… it's gold. It's a golden apple. A beautiful fruit- pure marvel to look at. It even smells real. Who dropped this onto the track? The only one close enough to me is Melanion.

From the corner of my eye, I see my opponent throw something. Another lovely golden apple sails through the air. Melanion is throwing them- why? This time the fruit lands in the trampled grass on the side of the track. I make a quick swerve and I take a little detour to retrieve it. When I get back to the track, there are three things I see immediately: Hermes looking at me in utter bafflement, Ditey smirking at me from the sidelines with a mischievous Eros standing beside her, and Melanion running as fast as he can, taking the lead by a hair. I overtake my unworthy opponent in a few seconds, but now I'm trying to send scathing looks at the two wannabe matchmakers standing on the sidelines. Aphrodite must have given Melanion the golden apples when she went over to the Arcady team to flirt with him the beginning of the match. The beautiful fruit look identical to the apples Aphrodite grows in her garden. She cultivates them to be irresistible. Oh, no.

The third apple flashes in the sun as it falls in a graceful arc. It lands at least twenty feet of the hard-beaten track. I can feel its pull, but I force myself to remain on course. The finish line waves just ahead of me- it's almost in reach, but it's becoming a possibility that I might lose this race! Losing would also mean losing my bet with Eros- why did I ever accept that dare?- and- GAHHH- going out with the guy I lose to. _Pass the finish first_, I tell myself.

I dash for the golden apple. By the time I retrieve the pretty thing, it is quite a fast run to beat Melanion. I run as fast as I can, almost tripping as I sprint down the last few meters of track. And as I speed across the finish line, I see Melanion collapse on his hands and knees after his feet land, half a step before mine, across the checkered line.

I curse and kick the abundant dirt, sending clouds of dust into the faces of Ditey and Eros. A small retribution, I think as the pair smirks at me and goes to exact my punishment. Melanion looks more than happy to accept their terms. I scream and storm off the field before the next event even lines up to begin.

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed! Remember, requests are accepted, although they may not pop up in the next chapter or two. I'm working on the beginning of the Trojan War and on a non-myth story, so those will be the next ones up. Maybe not in that order, but oh well. R&amp;R!<strong>


	5. What is Love?

**It's been a while, huh? I have no excuse. :/ Just let this one slip to the side. **

**This is not based on a particular myth. I do not own the three lines of song lyrics used. If you're still around, R&R! **

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><p>The seniors at Mount Olympus High School jostle as they make their way to the seats of the lecture hall. The Philosophy teachers, the Fates, stand hunched at the front of the room, muttering to each other about the future and the most recent edition of <em>Knitting Biweekly<em>. Just normal omnipotent-old-lady things like that.

The cliques in the room are obvious as the students settle. A mob of pink-clad, overly made-up girls squeal and text in one corner of the room; another group of kids dressed in dark colors sit as far away as possible from them. Several of them are trying to finish papers due in just a few minutes.

"No use, pupils!" One of the professors shrieks, "We have seen and none of you will pass on that paper!"

"Aw, come on, Dr. Lachesis!" Artemis calls down, "Can't we have another day?" The Fate shakes her head. A sad chorus of crumpling paper and swearing erupts from the group. The teacher arranges the cowl of her cloak nonchalantly as her students groan.

"And to the rest of you, it is time to turn in your essays," another of the Fates speaks and holds out one gnarled hand for the homework. Slowly, the papers are passed forward and collected by the ever-attentive front row students- namely, Athena and Hephaestus. Once they have given up their work, gaggles of seniors fall to chattering again.

"Silence!" the third Fate screeches; immediately the class falls as silent as the grave. "There will be no idle chitchat today during class." The atmosphere in the lecture hall seems to droop and wilt. "We have a shortened lecture." The mood picks up again. "We also have an in-class assignment and, no, Zeus, you cannot take it home. It is due at the end of class." The boy turns a blotchy scarlet with embarrassment.

Clotho raises a pair of dangerous-looking knitting needles and clicks them together. "Today," she croaks, "you will be writing an impromptu essay which you will then share with your classmates." Athena sits a little straighter at the mention of a presentation; everyone else slumps a little more.

"Do we have to get up there and be all formal and crap?" Ares yells from his seat near Aphrodite.

"A summary of your paper will suffice, young one!" Atropos cackles.

The third sister pulls a stubby piece of chalk from her cloak, turns to the blackboard, and begins to write. Several students clap their hands over their ears as the Fate's fingernails scrape against the board along with the chalk. "Does she do that on purpose?" Demeter whispers to Persephone.

"It's not nice to gossip, girls," the crone hisses, turning back to face the class. Demeter pales and a potted plant in the corner of the lecture hall droops. Shuffling towards the front row, the Fate reveals the word written on the board- LOVE.

"Indeed," Lachesis rasps, "love. You will write an essay about the nature of love. What is love? And, before you ask, Hades, it's a quiz grade." The dark boy shrugs and keeps fiddling with his pencil. "Begin!"

The class begins to frantically scribble on their papers, even the slackers in the back. They all know that the Fates are no easy graders, and they take points off if your thoughts stray too far in class. Even with this knowledge, teenagers are apt to get distracted, and every so often a sharp comment from the Fates brings some poor kid back into line.

"Hades, stop thinking about Persephone and get to work!"

"Eros. That is not love, that is lust. The same goes for you, Zeus!"

"Apollo, we're not talking about loving trees. We're- oh, sorry. We'll let you get away with that one. It'll count for today."

"Artemis… just write something this time."

"Surprisingly good, Poseidon! And you, Hera!" At last the class whips their minds into focus and the Fates survey the lecture hall silently for a long while.

"Time's up, class!" Pencils fall- some roll all the way to the floor- and the students lean back, stretching their hands. "We'll not be taking volunteers. Just going down the line. Actually, we won't be 'going down the line'. We'll be choosing the essays that we believe are the most… entertaining." Another witchy cackle (although they would call it simply senile) and then Clotho points a crooked finger at Athena. "I think you have something to say?"

The girl stands. "That's not fair. Your methods of presentation are biased. It shouldn't matter what people wrote- you should choose randomly or, as you said earlier, go down the line."

"We thought you might protest, dearie. Come on up, you'll go first. Minerva, is it?"

"Athena."

"We know." The Fates share a grim smile. "A summary, if you please, Athena," Lachesis shrills. The girl rolls her eyes and walks briskly to the front of the class.

"Love is.. well, love can be defined as many things. It can be a simple attraction to something, for instance I love books. Also, love is the deep connection between two people that lasts a lifetime and creates a positive emotional bond that is stronger than most other forces of the mind."

"Aside from sounding like a textbook, very good," Atropos rasps, "Poseidon, your turn." The boy swaggers to the front of the class, still beaming from winning the Fates' praise as the assignment was being written.

"Love is when you'd give everything for someone; it's when you'd rather lose your life to find them than watch them walk away. Love is when you find the person that completes you." The class 'awh's (some sarcastically) at the reference to the boy's experience. He had chased a girl he liked- Amphitrite- for hours, following her from one class to another to find the right time to ask her out. Artemis thought it was creepy, but most of the other students found it sweet.

"If only you could know how that relationship will work out," Clotho simpers, waving Poseidon back to his seat. "Artemis, we said stop writing at least five minutes ago. Why don't you come up here and share what you have? And don't think thoughts like that, they're just not healthy." The girl shuffles reluctantly forward and the class snickers a little bit. Artemis never lets her opinion go unheard, and her romantic beliefs were well-known throughout the school.

"Love is stupid." Aphrodite and Eros squeal angrily. "Well, it is. You go and decide to fall in love and then what? You get hurt. Familial love is a different thing, of course, because they're your family and they're not trying to get in your bed… hopefully. Freedom is better. You can choose your own path and no one else will ever hold you back." One of her Amazon friends cheers from the back, but the cold look she sends around the room keeps everyone else quiet. The Fates call Hades to the front to break the awkward tension.

"Love can be tedious, but it's worth it. You just have to wait, be patient, that crap, but when the right person comes along it's worth it. You'll be happy forever, and you don't have to be alone in anything you do." He moves back to his seat, but not before glancing at Persephone. She blushes, Demeter glares, and the Fates chuckle to themselves.

"Aphrodite, you're up."

A cloud of perfume follows the golden-haired, blue-eyed beauty queen as she flounces up. Most of the room gags, but her clique, along with Ares and Hephaestus watch her progress raptly.

"Love is when you love another person sooo much-"

"Do not use the word in its description!" Atropos hisses. Aphrodite rolls her eyes and keeps going.

"That you would give up everything for them. Or when you have someone that would give up everything for you! When you love someone, you're willing to do anything for them, to do anything with them…"

"LUST!" all three of the Fates screech, and Aphrodite rushes back to her seat- but not before she flips her perfect hair over her shoulder one more time. "The girl has spoken for several of her classmates as well, we believe," the old ladies say, sending sharp glances at Zeus and Eros. "Hera, next!"

The regal girl strides to the lectern at the front of the room. "Love is something we can all disagree on- everyone has their own definition. For me, love is commitment. It's when you care about someone so much it's like they're an extension of your soul. It's when you want to be with them forever. Marriage represents love, and relationships should NEVER-" she glares at Zeus, "-be made void by cheating." Her boyfriend fidgets in his seat and looks like he wants to disappear.

"There is time for one more presentation before the lecture," Lachesis rasps, "Apollo!" The boy almost leaps down the stairs, grinning crazily. He hands his paper to Atropos before clearing his throat and beginning to sing.

"WHAT IS LOVE?" he belts out, pointing towards a girl sitting near his twin sister, "BABY, DON'T HURT ME!" The girl, Daphne, stiffens in her seat, as motionless as a laurel tree, as she realizes the song is being directed towards her. Apollo winks. "BABY DON'T HURT ME, NO MORE!" The Fates, cackling amongst themselves like they had planned the escapade, cut off the boy and sent him back to his seat before he sang any more.

The three professors begin their lecture before the students can begin to converse. A few of the slackers frantically try to finish the essays and take notes simultaneously. Of course, with the Fates as teachers, they were bound to get points taken off nonetheless.

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><p><strong>Tell me what you thought! XD<strong>


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